Seat and cover hinge for water closets and the like



S pt. 4, 1926. 1,599,820

0. KOLSTAD SEAT AND COVER HINGE FOR WATER CLOSETS AND THE LIKE Filed Jan. 1. 1923 w @Q-Z 1a '/0 1,7 ,2 w 23 s N /2 A .7

Patented Sept. 14, 1926.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

onro KoLs'rAn, or HOLYQKE, MAssAcnUsn'rrs, AssIeNon To 0. r. c'nu'iicn Mann FACTURING 00., or HOLYOKE, MASSACHUSETTS, A CORPORATION or MASSACHU- SETTS.

SEAT AND COVER HINGE FOR WATER CLOSETS AND THE LIKE.

Application filed January 1, 1923. Serial No. 610,080.

My present invention relates to the seats and covers for water-closets and the like, and particularly to hinges therefor, and aims to provide types of construction of seats and covers of the character described, as well as types of construction of hinges therefor, which shall enable such seats and covers to be cheaply and expeditiously constructed, easily assembled, and conveniently and comfortably operated, while at the same time presenting a very neat and attractive appearance, free from exposed fastening members, such as screws and the like, thus highly recommending such devices to architects, builders, plumbers and like users of the same.

In the accompanying specification I shall describe, and in the annexed drawing show, a preferred embodiment of the present invention. It is, however, to be clearly understood that my invention is not limited to the embodiment thereof which is herein shown and described for purposes of illustration only. r

Referring to the drawings, wherein I have illustrated the aforesaid illustrative embodiment of the present invention:

Fig. l is a plan view of the combined seat, cover and hinge, showing the cover in raised position Fig. 2 is a transverse sectional View taken centrally through the hinge posts H of Fig. 1; and

Fig. 3' is a side elevation of the device showing the cover in closed or horizontal position.

Before describing the aforesaid illus trative embodiment of the present invention in detail, it may be desirable briefly to point out the disadvantages of the prior art to which the present invention relates. It has hitherto been proposed to provide a coin bined water-closet seat and cover therefor with a hinge construction in which the pintles on which the seat and cover pivot or hinge are integral with one of the hinge posts and pass entirely through the wood or other material of which the seat and cover tages of this typeof construction are thatsuch a seat is d iiiicult to manufacture, is

quite expensive, and is diflicult to assemble, requiring considerable time and labor for this purpose. For this reasonthis type of water-closet seat construction has not found ready acceptance with the trade.

It has also been proposed to provide a type of combined water-closet seatand cover therefore in which hinge posts are provided which have apertures at their upper ends through which screws pass into the watercloset seat or cover, as" the case may be, angle irons and fastening means therefor being provided for attaching the seat to the cover, or vice-versa. obvious disadvantages that the fastening means are exposed and give the seat an unattractive and cumbersome appearance. At

the same time, the seat is comparatively expensive, and is diflicult to assemble. This seat, as well'as the seat previouslydescribed,

has further disadvantages which need not. here be enlarged upon but which have prevented these seats from being commercially successful. 7

I have discovered that I may combine certain of the features present in the two types of combined water-closet seats and covers just described and known for a long time in the prior art, in the formation of a combined water-closet seat and cover which has none of the disadvantages of the seats just described and which possesses certain advantages, inthe way of easier manufacture, cheaper construction, and more convenient This construction has the.

assembling and operation, which reco1nmend such seats very highly to architects,

builders, plumbers and like users of such devices. With this water-closet seat and cover construction, I combine also certain novel features of construction which, in my opinion, give this type of combined watercloset seat and cover construction certain advantages in construction, operation and appearance which make the devices of the present invention superior to the devices hitherto employed. or suggested for employs ment in the prior art.

Turning now to' the aforesaid illustrative embodiment of' the present invention and particularly to the figures of the drawing illustrating the same, S indicates the seat of a water-closet or the like, and C the cover therefor- At H,- I have indicated generally the hinges which may be used for permitting the rotation of the seat and cover into open or closed position, as desired.

Each of the hinges H, of which two are shown as being here employed, and which are substantially identical, so that only one of them need be here described in detail, comprises a hinge post 10 having the head portion 11, the neck portion 12, the flange portion 13, and the lower threaded rod or bolt portion 14. The rod or bolt portion 14: of each hinge post 10 is provided with the threads 15, so that the hinge posts may be suitably positioned and fastened in place, by any suitable fastening means, not here deemed necessary to be shown, in the porcelain of the water-closet bowl which does not form a part of the present invention and need therefore not be illustrated here.

Attached to, and preferably forming a part of, the head 11 of the hinge post 10, is a short post or pintle 16 about which the hinge plate 17, carrying the seat S and the cover C, may rotate. Each hinge plate 17 comprises a main body portion 18 to which is securely attached, as by being made integral therewith, a short post or pintle 19 adjacent the upper ends of the body portion 18, about which the cover C may be rotated. Adjacent its lower endthe body portion 18 of the hinge plate 17 is provided with. the tubular fastening or attaching member 20, within which the short post or pintle 16 of the hinge post 10 bears.

The short post or pintle 19 adjacent the upper portion of the hinge plate 17 enters an opening 21 in the cover C containing the bushings 22 forming bearings for the cover C in its rotation about the posts. or pintles 19. It will be noted that tie tubular fastening or attaching member 20 adjacent the lower portion of the hinge plate 17 is securely driven into an opening 23 in the seat S, so that the hinge plate 17 is securely and rigidly iastened to the seat S, thus providing a suitable bearing for the short post or pintle 16 of the hinge post 10.

The manner of assembling the aforesaid illustrative embodiment of the present invention, and the advantages of'the same in use, will be substantially clear from the foregoing description and may be briefly summarized as follows: The seat S, provided with the openings 23, and the cover C, provided with the openings 21 containing the bushings 22, are assembled in proper relation to the hinge plates 17 by driving the tubular fastening members 20 of the hinge plates 17 into the respective openings 23 in the seat S, while at the same time permitting the short posts or pintles 19 adjacent the upper ends of the hinge plates 17 to enter the openings 21 of the cover C containing the bushings 22.

In this relation of the cover C, the seat S and the hinge plate 17, it will be noted that the cover C, the seat S and the hinge plates 17 are assembled as a unitary group of elements, with the hinge plates 17 rigidly and non-rotatably held by frictional engagement in the openings 23 of the seat S, and with the cover C rotatably held in position about the short posts or pintles 19 at the upper ends of the hinge plates 17, without the use of any such external or other fastening means as screws, threaded posts, bolts or pintles, and without the use of any removable fastening means of any sort whatsoever, except the hinge plates 17 themselves. The assembling of the seat, cover and hinges is completed by bringing the short posts or pintles 16 of the hinge posts 10 to bear within the tubular fastening means 20 now within the openings 23 of the seat S. The threaded bolts 14 may now be passed into suitable openings in the porcelain of the bowl of the water-closet or like device, and any suitable fastening means, such as nuts and washers, may be applied to securely and rigidly fasten the water-closet seat, cover and hinges in places.

It will be apparent from the foregoing description that I have provided a construction of combined water-closet seat, cover and hinges which may be very economically made, which may be very readily and cheaply assembled without much consumption of time or labor and without the use of any of the usual unsi htly and visible fastening means, such as screws, threaded bolts, rods or pintles, or other removable fastening means.

The advantages of the foregoing construction and the conveniences of the same in use will be readily apparent from the foregoing description and may be briefly summarized as follows: When the cover C is raised, the same will readily rotate about the pintles 19 of the hinge plates 17, which are rigidly fastened in the seat S. This rotation is facilitated by means of the bush ings 22 in the openings 21 of the seat C, providing bearings for the posts or pintles 19. lVhen the seat S is raised, this carries the hinge plates 17 with it, since these hinge plates are rigidly fastened in the seat S by means of the tubular fastening means 20 frictionally engaging with the openings 23 in the seat S. This rotation of the combined water-closet seat and cover together with the hinge plates is facilitated by means of the bearing surfaces provided by the inte riors of the tubular fastening means 20 about the posts or pintles 16.

t will be apparent that I have provided an ideal construction of combined watercloset seat, cover and hinge which is very cheap and economical to construct, which is convenient to operateand which is very easy to assemble. At the same time, due to the absence of any unsightly fastening means, such as screws, threaded rods, bolts or pintles, or other removable fastening means, the seat has a very attractive appearance which, together with its other advantages, readily recommends it to builders, architects, plumbers and like users of such devices.

It may also be desirable, and in some cases I prefer, to make the tubular fastening members angular, such as triangular, rectangular or square, in cross-section, so as to all the more effectively prevent the possibility that the hinge plates 17 will rotate within the openings 23 in the seat S. Any other desired expedient may be employed for the same purpose of preventing relative movement between the hinge plates 17 and the seat S.

hat I claim is:

1. A hinge plate for the seat and cover of a water-closet or the like, comprising a body portion having a stud associated therewith at one end thereof for engagement with said cover and a sleeve associated therewith at the other end thereof for engagement with said seat.

2. A hinge plate for the seat and cover of a water-closet or the like, comprising a body portion having a stud integral therewith at one end thereof for engagement with said cover and a sleeve integral therewith at the other end thereof for engagement with said seat.

8. In a hinge for the seat and cover of a water-closet or the like, a hinge plate for the seat and cover of a water-closet or the like, comprising a body portion having a stud associated therewith at one end thereof and a sleeve associated therewith at the other end thereof, in combination with a hinge post having a stud forming a part thereof adjacent the upper end thereof for insertion into said sleeve.

4-. In combination with the seat and cover of a water-closet or the like, a hinge plate comprising a main body portion provided adjacent one end thereof with means permitting the free pivotal movement of said cover with respect to said hinge plate and associated means, and means adjacent the other end of said hinge plate and attached thereto and forming a part thereof for fixedly attaching said hinge plate to said seat, whereby said seat and hinge plate are adapted to have a unitary pivotal movement together.

5. In combination with the seat and cover of a water-closet or the like, a hinge plate comprising a main body portion provided adjacent one end thereof with means permitting the free pivotal movement of said cover with respect to said hinge plate and associated means, and means adjacent the other end of said hinge plate and integral therewith for fixedly attaching said hinge plate to said seat, whereby said seat and hinge plate are adapted to have a unitary pivotal movement together.

6. In combination with the seat and cover of a water-closet or the like, a hinge plate comprising a body portion provided adja cent one end thereof with means permitting the pivotal movement of said cover with respect to said plate and to said means, and provided adjacent the other end thereof with tubular means forming a part thereof and providing means for attaching said hinge plate to said seat.

7. In combination with the seat and cover of a water-closet or the like, a hinge plate comprising a body portion provided adjacent one end thereof with means permitting the pivotal movement of said cover with respect to said plate, and provided adjacent the other end thereof with an integral extension providing means for fixedly attaching said hinge plate to said seat, whereby said seat and hinge plate are adapted to have a pivotal movement together.

8. A hinge plate for the seat and cover of a water-closet or the like provided with a sleeve adjacent one end thereof and with a stud adjacent the other end thereof, said sleeve being constructed to receive a pivot about which the hinge plate and associated seat may rotate, and said stud being constructed to act as a pivot for the cover.

9. A hinge plate for the seat and cover of a water-closet or the like provided with a sleeve adjacent one end thereof, said sleeve being adapted to be embedded in the seat of the closet, and provided also with a stud adjacent the other end thereof and adapted to serve as a pivot for the cover of the closet.

In testimony, whereof, I have signed my name to this specification this 6th day of December, 1922.

OTTO KOLSTAD. 

